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An interactive map has exposed the huge amounts of industrial rubbish that is washed ashore along Scotland’s coast.

It has been launched by the SCRAPbook (Scottish Coastal Rubbish Aerial Photography) project in a bid to help tackle marine pollution.

A selection of aerial photographs have also been published, posing a stark reminder of the fight we face against pollution in our oceans.

The photos, taken by pilot crews, show clusters of plastic containers, fish crates, oil drums, nets and tyres in remote areas out of public view.

Some of the worst litter spots, which include Clanyard Bay and Glasserton in Dumfries and Galloway and Red Point in the north-west Highlands, are highlighted in red.

The project is a collaboration of three charities – the Marine Conservation Society (MCS), Sky Watch Civil Air Patrol and the Moray Firth Partnership – that aims to help volunteers target their beach clean-ups.

The map has revealed where most of the rubbish collects on Scotland’s coast (Picture: SCRAPbook/Civil Air Patrol/PA Wire)

Launched in April, Sky Watch pilots have flown over sections of Scotland’s coast for the last few months taking pictures when they see litter.

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Archie Liggat, Sky Watch chairman, said: ‘In the worst areas it is absolutely at industrial levels, with plastic blasted up the hills from the coast where it’s been blown.

‘There are hundreds and hundreds of large plastic barrels and crates all over the place, and when there is any large plastic litter visible at all there’s usually a significant amount of smaller stuff too.’

Aerial photographs taken by pilot crews have identified pockets of mainly commercial waste in remote areas out of public view (Picture: SCRAPbook/Civil Air Patrol/PA Wire)

Richard Harrington from MCS said there is still a lot of coastline to be covered but it was clear there are large areas of waste ‘people simply aren’t seeing’.

He said: ‘It’s largely hidden from view, but there are huge volumes of material in some of the most remote coves and on inaccessible beaches that will be a real challenge to move.’

MCS is calling for volunteers to take part in its Great British Beach Clean on September 14-17.

The map has been launched in a bid to combat marine pollution (Picture: SCRAPbook/Civil Air Patrol/PA Wire)

Mr Harrington said: ‘If there are people who can get to some of the beaches that have been pinpointed by these photographs, that would be great.’

Vicky Junik from the Moray Firth Partnership added: ‘The easier it is to find out where the litter is, the easier it is to mobilise clean up efforts, and we’ve tried to focus on the less popular or harder to reach parts of the coastline,
so we can build a really comprehensive picture of the reality and scale of the challenge – a challenge everyone can help tackle.’